Children: Day Care

Karen Buck: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) employers offering and  (b) employees taking up childcare vouchers; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: There is no official data collected on the number of employers who offer and employees who take up child care vouchers. Employers are not required to report this data to HMRC.
	Research carried out by the National Centre for Social Research for HMRC in 2006 estimated that 2.5 per cent. of organisations offered employer supported child care and that 36 per cent. of employees had access to this provision. This report was published in December 2006 and is available on the HMRC website at:
	www.hmrc.gov.uk/research/research-report23.htm
	HMRC considers that these figures are likely to have increased since this research was carried out.

Income Tax: Tax Rates and Bands

Lynne Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which groups will not be fully compensated by his proposals to compensate taxpayers who were affected by the abolition of the 10 pence tax band.

Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 9 June 2008,  Official Report, column 108W, to the right hon. Member for Birkenhead (Mr. Field).

National Income: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what level of gross domestic product was recorded in the NUTS area most closely corresponding to  (a) Peterborough city council area and  (b) Peterborough constituency in each of the last 10 years.

Yvette Cooper: Peterborough is the NUTS 3 level region which most closely corresponds to the Peterborough city council and Peterborough constituency areas. Office for National Statistics (ONS) do not publish regional GDP but do publish estimates of regional gross value added (GVA) for the NUTS 3 areas, for the period 1995 to 2005.
	The latest data for NUTS 3 area levels are 2005. Following are the GVA levels at NUTS 3 for Peterborough:
	
		
			  NUTS 3 GVA at current basic prices for Peterborough 
			   £ million 
			 1995 1,870 
			 1996 1,995 
			 1997 2,138 
			 1998 2,282 
			 1999 2,366 
			 2000 2,425 
			 2001 2,549 
			 2002 2,728 
			 2003 2,971 
			 2004 3,211 
			 2005 3,358 
			  Source: ONS—Gross Value Added (GVA) is Gross Domestic Product (GDP) less taxes (plus subsidies) on products.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces personnel from each country were serving in the International Security Assistance Force at the latest date for which information is available.

Des Browne: We do not comment on the numbers of deployed troops from other nations, which are matters for the countries concerned; however they are listed with periodic updates on the International Security Assistance Force website, which can be found at:
	http://www.nato.int/isaf/index.html

Armed Forces: North West

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many regiments have been based in the North West over the last three years; and how many are planned to be based there in the next three years.

Bob Ainsworth: The following units have been based in the north west over the last 18 months:
	
		
			  Serial  Unit  Location 
			 1 2nd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment (2 YORKS) Preston 
			 2 2nd Battalion The Rifles (2 RIFLES) Preston (up to August 2007) 
			 3 4th Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (4 LANCS) Preston 
			 4 103 (Lancashire Artillery Volunteers) Royal Artillery (Volunteers) (103 Regt RA(V)) St. Helens 
			 5 75 Engineer Regiment (Volunteers) (75 Engr Regt (V)) Failsworth, Manchester 
			 6 156 (North West) Transport Regiment The Royal Logistics Corps (156 Tpt Regt RLC (V)) Liverpool 
			 7 33rd (Lancashire and Cheshire) Signal Regiment (Volunteers) (33 Sig Regt (V)) Liverpool 
			 8 5 General Support Medical Regiment (5 GS Med Regt) Preston 
			 9 207 Field Hospital (Volunteer) (207 Fd Hosp(V)) Manchester 
			 10 208 Field Hospital (Volunteer) (208 Fd Hosp(V)) Liverpool 
		
	
	Of these units 2 YORKS is due to move to Cyprus in December 2010.
	The following units are due to move to the north west in the next three years:
	
		
			  Seria1  Unit  Location 
			 11 2nd Battalion The Duke of Lancaster' s Regiment (2 LANCS) Preston (from December 2010) 
			 12 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh (The Royal Welch Fusiliers) (1R Welsh) Chester (from August 2008) 
			 13 253 General Support Medical Regiment (Volunteers) (253 GS Med Regt(V)) Elements will be based in Preston 
			 14 254 General Support Medical Regiment (Volunteers) (254 GS Med Regt(V)) Elements will be based in Preston 
		
	
	Data on the units located in the north west before January 2007 is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what  (a) ventilation and  (b) cooling systems other than air conditioning are incorporated into the Panther Command and Liaison vehicle;
	(2)  whether the Panther Command and Liaison vehicle has  (a) flaps and  (b) windows which open to allow ventilation.

Bob Ainsworth: The panther vehicle is fitted with a standard air conditioning unit, hence there are no additional ventilation and cooling systems, flaps or windows.

Departmental Vetting

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of successful applicants for jobs in his Department are subjected to a criminal records check; how many  (a) successful applicants and  (b) criminal records checks there were in each of the last 10 years; how many successful applicants were found to have a criminal record after a criminal records check took place in each of the last 10 years; whether the selection of successful candidates to be subjected to a criminal records check is random or targeted; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: Approximately 90 per cent. of MOD posts in the MOD require National Security Vetting which includes a full criminal record check. This requires candidates to declare all criminal convictions, including spent convictions. Pre-employment checks on the remainder require all candidates to declare unspent convictions, and random checks are made on these declarations.
	Inquiries carried out by the Defence vetting agency indicate that between 5 per cent. to 10 per cent. of MOD applicants for National Security Vetting show an adverse trace on the Police National Computer. Such traces indicate a record against the individual and show any kind of conviction, ranging from juvenile offences to the most serious crimes. A trace may also indicate a police caution, that the person is wanted or missing, or that there is an impending prosecution. While a proportion of the traces will indicate a criminal record, it is not possible to give a definitive figure, nor state how many individuals were subsequently employed, without examining individual cases, at disproportionate cost.

EU Rapid Reaction Force

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with his French counterpart on developing a 60,000 strong EU rapid reaction force;
	(2)  what the Government's policy is on the creation of a 60,000 strong EU rapid reaction force.

Des Browne: There are no proposals for the creation of a 60,000 strong EU rapid reaction force, nor have I had any discussions about creating one.
	The UK continues to support the Helsinki Headline Goal that all member states agreed to in 1999, which calls for the EU member states to be able to:
	"deploy within 60 days and sustain for at least one year military forces of up to 50,000 to 60,000 persons capable of the full range of Petersberg tasks."
	This represents an overarching target for member states collective level of capability, from which the EU's capability development framework takes its lead. It does not imply the creation of a standing EU force of any kind. Any commitment to an EU-led operation is voluntary and is a decision for national Governments to make on a case by case basis.

Ex-servicemen: Military Decorations

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the proportion of veterans who have been awarded a veteran's badge; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: There are no accurate figures of the current veteran population however it is generally accepted as around 4.5 million. We have awarded an HM Armed Forces Veterans Badge to approximately 602,000 individuals. We have now extended eligibility to all veterans. This figure is growing as the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency are currently issuing between 2,000 and 2,500 badges each week. We take every opportunity to publicise the badge and encourage others to do so as well.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of  (a) armoured vehicles,  (b) other vehicles,  (c) fixed wing aircraft,  (d) rotary wing aircraft,  (e) weapons systems and  (f) unmanned aerial vehicles of each type which have been removed from service as a result of battle damage in Iraq and Afghanistan are now (i) in service, (ii) fit for purpose and (iii) out of service.

Bob Ainsworth: I am withholding the information requested as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

Military Aircraft

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many C17 aircraft are operated by the Royal Air Force; and how many of those are  (a) leased and  (b) owned by the Royal Air Force;
	(2)  how many C130 aircraft are operated by the Royal Air Force; and what proportion of these are owned by the Royal Air Force.

Bob Ainsworth: The Royal Air Force currently operates six C17 aircraft, two of which are owned by the Royal Air Force. The remaining four CI7 aircraft are leased and will be purchased by the Royal Air Force this year.
	The Royal Air Force currently operates and owns 42 Hercules CI30 aircraft.

Nuclear Submarines

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 17 June 2008,  Official Report, column 849W, on berths, if he will list those berths with safety plans in place as specified in the Radiation (Emergency Preparedness and Public Information) Regulations 2001 which are available to nuclear powered submarines in  (a) the UK and  (b) overseas.

Bob Ainsworth: The berths, including anchorages and bouys, with safety plans attached to them under the Radiation Emergency Preparedness and Public Information Regulations (2001) are as follows:
	
		
			   Location  Number of berths 
			 UK HMNB Devonport 17 
			  HMNB Clyde 10 
			  HMNB Portsmouth 5 
			  Southampton 2 
			  Portland 2 
			  Loch Goil 1 
			  Loch Ewe 2 
			  Broadford Bay 1 
			  Clyde estuary 1 
			  Barrow in Furness 2 
			 Overseas HMNB Gibraltar 2

Afghanistan: Agriculture

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether an agricultural policy is being established in Afghanistan under the command of  (a) the International Security Assistance Force and  (b) any other organisation; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: A national agriculture policy for Afghanistan is being developed by the Government of Afghanistan as part of the Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS). The ANDS is the Afghan Government's five-year development plan aimed at reducing poverty, stimulating economic growth, and improving governance and donor coordination. The ANDS was launched formally at the International Conference in Support of Afghanistan in Paris on 12 June 2008.
	The ANDS sets out the long-term strategic vision for agricultural and rural development. It aims to support the poor rural populations and develop the productivity and commercial viability of the agricultural sector. The lead Ministry the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock has developed Implementation and Investment Plans in response to the ANDS. The Department for International Development is providing support to this Ministry to develop and implement these plans.

International Finance Facility for Immunisation Bonds

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effects of global financial turbulence and projections of future global growth on innovative financial instruments for development, with particular reference to the International Finance Facility for Immunisation bonds.

Gillian Merron: To date the International Finance Facility for Immunisation (IFFIm) has issued two bonds through the international capital markets, raising approximately US$1.2 billion dollars for the immunisation and health systems strengthening programmes of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI Alliance). IFFIm contributed to the GAVI Alliance's results in 2007 and early 2008. Some of these results include;
	immunising 194 million children in 32 developing countries with life saving measles vaccine;
	immunising more than 100 million children under the age of five against polio;
	helping immunise 26 million women against tetanus.
	IFFIm is on track to achieving its objective to provide frontloaded and predictable funding to the GAVI Alliance; in order to immunise millions of people, save five million children's lives by 2015; and a further five million adult lives thereafter.
	Despite the current problems in the financial markets, IFFIm was able to issue the second bond in March this year through the Japanese capital market; raising US$223 million for the GAVI Alliance. Plans are underway to issue further IFFIm bonds in the coming years.

Bees

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many beekeepers there were in  (a) Southend and  (b) Essex in (i) each of the last five years and (ii) at the most recent date for which figures are available.

Jonathan R Shaw: Five beekeepers in Southend and 509 beekeepers in Essex are currently registered with the National Bee Unit. Historical data is not available. The actual number of beekeepers in these areas will be higher as registration is not compulsory.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brecon and Radnorshire, of 2 April 2008,  Official Report, columns 913-4W, on bovine tuberculosis, what progress he has made in his consideration of the conclusions of the Independent Scientific Group on Cattle Tuberculosis on the potential role of badger culling in controlling tuberculosis in cattle.

Jonathan R Shaw: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 17 June 2008,  Official Report, column 798W, to the hon. Member for South-East Cornwall (Mr. Breed). The position remains unchanged. We continue to consider all the complex evidence on this issue and will respond to the Committee as soon as our deliberations are complete.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with his French counterpart on policies to deal with bovine tuberculosis; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 26 June 2008
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State (Hilary Benn) has had no discussions with his French counterpart on policy to deal with bovine tuberculosis.

Departmental Buildings

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the value of the property held by  (a) his Department and  (b) associated public bodies was at the most recent date for which figures are available.

Jonathan R Shaw: The value of property held by DEFRA and the principle associated public bodies is:
	
		
			   Value (£)  Valuation date 
			  (a) DEFRA 541,249,000 March 2008 
			
			  (b) Associated bodies   
			 Environmental Agency 2,276,329,000 March 2008 
			 Natural England (National Nature Reserves) 4,280,000 March 2006 
			 Natural England (Office Estate) 1,593,000 March 2008

Equality

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will take steps to establish a strategy to tackle age discrimination and promote age equality in the provision of goods and services  (a) by his Department and  (b) within the sector for which he has policy responsibility; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: We have recently produced revised gender, race and disability equality schemes which reflect our commitment to supporting an inclusive culture in DEFRA. Our revised equality schemes and diversity strategy will tackle and address age discrimination through action planning. DEFRA's diversity strategy is also aligned to the Civil Service Diversity Strategy, 2008 -11.
	Consultation on proposals for the Single Equality Bill, "A Framework for Fairness", signalled that the Government were considering the case for prohibiting age discrimination in the provision of goods, facilities and services under a proposed single public sector duty which would be extended to cover age. DEFRA was among 4,000 organisations who have responded to the consultation supporting the view that a single public duty replacing race, disability and gender duties should cover all protected groups. The Government will publish its response to the consultation shortly.

Fisheries: Environment Protection

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether it is compulsory for fishing boats off the English coast to use pingers to deter cetaceans and other sea life.

Jonathan R Shaw: On 1 January 2006 European Council Regulation (EC) 812/2004 made the use of acoustic deterrent devices ("pingers") mandatory for vessels over 12 m involved in fixed gear fisheries in the Celtic Sea, Channel and Western Waters. Technical problems, however, with current designs have precluded the full deployment of acoustic deterrent devices. The Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU) has recently undertaken research on behalf of DEFRA into the effects of a bigger pinger on porpoise and dolphin distribution. We hope to have more details on the efficacy of the new pingers by spring next year.

Meat: Imports

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what mechanisms are in place to ensure imported meat meets UK standards; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: European Community legislation requires that meat imported into the UK—and elsewhere within the EU is produced to the same animal health and public health standards throughout. Consignments of meat must be accompanied by veterinary certification which gives guarantees that the meat has been produced according to EU rules. The European Commission carries out inspection visits to exporting third countries to ensure compliance with EU public and animal health requirements.
	All consignments of meat are checked on entry into the EU. Every consignment has a documentary and identity check, that is a check on the certificate and that the consignment matches the information in the certificate. 20 per cent. of consignments of red meat and 50 per cent. of consignments of poultry meat are physically checked. A physical check may include an organoleptic check (taste, appearance and smell), a temperature check (for frozen or chilled products), and laboratory tests for contaminants.

Burma: Foreign Investment

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Mid-Norfolk of 26 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1364W, on investment in Burma, what progress has been made in discussions between the UK and EU partners on restrictive measures against Burmese companies as agreed at the October 2007 General Affairs and External Relations Council; whether a full prohibition on new investment in enterprises in Burma engaged in the logging, timber and mining of metals and minerals industries is under consideration; and what assessment he has made of the effect of Cyclone Nargis on discussions on restrictive measures at EU level.

Meg Munn: In November 2007 EU partners agreed a prohibition on new investment in enterprises engaged in logging, timber, mining of metals and minerals, precious or semi-precious stones as well as related technical and financial assistance. This came into force with the publication of EC Regulation 194/2008 on 10 March 2008.
	The EU General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) conclusions agreed to consider further financial measures at the April GAERC in 2008. The European Commission is working on an options paper. A review of two annexes to the current common position, listing companies targeted by the EU measures, is due for completion in July.
	Cyclone Nargis struck Burma after the new common position was agreed. The financial and other measures set out in the common position target the regime's leaders and those who benefit from its policies, rather than the ordinary Burmese people. Any future financial measures would be designed to meet the same objective. The common position also restricts the scope and means of delivery of non-humanitarian aid or development programmes, but these restrictions do not apply to humanitarian aid—such as that provided in the wake of Cyclone Nargis.

Interfaith Strategy

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress has been made on developing the interfaith strategy.

Parmjit Dhanda: The consultation on the inter faith strategy closed on 7 March. We plan to publish the strategy in July.

Temporary Accommodation

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the guidance to local authorities on the use of out-of-borough temporary accommodation.

Iain Wright: Local authorities are legally obliged to have regard to the "Homelessness Code of Guidance for Local Authorities", which includes the suitable location of accommodation. I understand that my right hon. Friend the Minister for Housing (Caroline Flint) is to meet with a number of London boroughs to discuss their use of temporary accommodation as a result of notification of out-of-borough placements from our team of homelessness specialist advisers and my hon. Friend.

Council Tax: Valuation

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answers to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 19 February 2008 , Official Report, column 613W, 2 April 2008,  Official Report, columns 924-25W, on council tax: valuation and 7 May 2008,  Official Report, columns 1035-36W, if she will place in the Library copies of the calculations and work relating to the number of consequentials that informed the discussions at the Council Tax Revaluation Programme Board (England).

John Healey: No calculations or work were presented to the programme board on this issue.

Departmental Press

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was spent by her Department on subscriptions for magazines, newspapers and other publications in each of the last 24 months.

Parmjit Dhanda: In each of the last two financial years the Department has spent the following on magazines, newspapers and other publications;
	
		
			   £ 
			 2006-07 373,760 
			 2007-08 236,857

Eco-towns: Green Belt

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 6 June 2008,  Official Report, column 1176W, on eco-towns, how many hectares of greenfield development are included in each of the proposed eco-town developments.

Caroline Flint: As I set out in my answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) summary descriptions for each of the shortlisted eco-towns locations are set out in the consultation document, "Eco-towns - Living a greener future", and further information about the schemes, including the site are available through the Department's website.
	Many of the shortlisted bids make significant use of previously developed (brownfield) land. However, in some cases, development on greenfield land may be appropriate.

Eco-towns: Green Belt

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 7 May 2008,  Official Report, column 1037W, on eco-towns: planning permissions, whether types of development other than new homes with particular reference to  (a) commercial development and  (b) transport infrastructure, will be built on green belt land as part of any of the shortlisted eco-town bids.

Caroline Flint: We have said that no homes will be built on the green belt and our assessments will consider the effects of all development, not just homes, on the natural environment, green spaces and the green belt. We are actively encouraging innovative proposals that enhance our biodiversity and improve the natural environment, by integrating green spaces into the new towns. In some locations where fixed infrastructure such as railways or roads cross the green belt, it may be unavoidable to include development associated with these elements of infrastructure. Any development on the green belt in the final shortlisted locations would face the stringent tests set out in PPG 2:, Green Belts, which has a presumption against inappropriate development.

Eco-towns: Planning

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to issue a  (a) national policy statement and  (b) planning policy statement on eco-towns.

Caroline Flint: We expect to publish a draft planning policy statement for consultation in July. It will be place specific, and will bb an important material consideration in the determination of any planning application for an eco-town, particularly where the development plan is silent or out of date.
	National policy statements set the framework for decisions by the Infrastructure Planning Commission, which is being considered under proposals in the Planning Bill. Its role will be to consider nationally significant infrastructure projects, such as proposals for major new power stations. This process will not apply to housing development, and there will not be a national policy statement for eco-towns. Planning applications for eco-towns will be submitted to the appropriate local authority.

Greenbelt: Databases

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 6 June 2008,  Official Report, column 1176W, on eco-towns, whether the  (a) Maps on Taps and  (b) MAGIC databases hold information on green gaps and green wedges.

Caroline Flint: The Maps on Tap service has been discontinued and the MAGIC database, run by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs does not hold information on green gaps or green wedges.

Homelessness: Leeds

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) registered charities and  (b) community-based schemes providing help for homeless people in Leeds Metropolitan District will receive funding for that work from her Department in 2008-09; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: The Department is providing Leeds city council with £440,000 Homelessness Grant in 2008-09. Local authorities use the funding to tackle homelessness in their areas, which can include the funding of other organisations, to help deliver their homelessness strategy. There is overall funding of £150 million going to local authorities and £50 million to the voluntary sector over the next three years—the largest ever cash injection into homelessness services.
	Leeds city council has also received capital funding under our hostels programme: £430,000 for Faith Lodge hostel and £988,000 for the St. George's Crypt Centre. Both projects are run by St. George's Crypt. This is part of our significant investment of £170 million to improve hostels and day centres.

Housing: Regeneration

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  if she will place in the Library a copy of the research used to select the local areas chosen for the housing market renewal pathfinders;
	(2)  what the criteria were by which each of the locations were chosen for the housing market renewal pathfinders;
	(3)  on what grounds Birmingham was added to the locations for the Housing Market Renewal pathfinders; and what role the right hon. Member for Tyneside North played in the decision as Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions.

Iain Wright: The Housing Market Renewal (HMR) programme originated from a growing body of evidence—academic research, Government statistics and local anecdotal reports—all pointing to large scale abandonment of housing and neighbourhoods, resulting in low demand for housing.
	Taking up this work, the Government carried out an exercise in two stages using its housing market data to identify those local authorities experiencing or most at risk from problems of low demand.
	The first stage consisted of four parts:
	1. All local authorities in the South East, London, South West and East regions were excluded on the grounds that none of those areas are experiencing widespread severe low demand.
	2. Local authorities with low demand problems in either private or social sectors, but not both, were excluded, since these were unlikely to be symptomatic of a wider problem.
	3. Local authorities with weak evidence of low demand in housing statistics returns were excluded.
	4. Local authorities with low demand problems at small scale levels and which did not relate to wider markets were excluded.
	Stage 2 then identified sub-regional groupings on the basis of areas which contained a large number of properties in low demand, a large number of properties at risk of low demand, and a high risk of more widespread failure in the short term due to unstable housing markets. Additional local authorities were added to the pathfinder groupings where the failure to include them was likely to have a serious impact on the success of action to tackle housing market failure.
	This process led to the identification of the nine areas considered in immediate need or at highest risk of market failure, which included Birmingham/Sandwell. The Secretary of State approved the final list of areas selected as pathfinders.

Construction

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of the economic prospects for the construction industry over the next 12 months.

Malcolm Wicks: Construction industry output in Great Britain increased by 2.4 per cent. in 2007 (Office for National Statistics), though levels of activity in the construction sector are currently falling, chiefly in the new housing sector.
	Updated statistics released by the Office for National Statistics on 17 June indicate that the total volume of construction output for the 12 months to the first quarter of 2008 rose by 2 per cent. compared with the previous 12-month period. Output of new work rose by 4 per cent. over the same period, driven by increases in public housing, infrastructure and private commercial new work. However; new private housing work was down by 5 per cent. over the same period. Repair and maintenance work rose by 1 per cent. over the same period. Output in the first quarter of 2008 was unchanged compared with the fourth quarter of 2007 in volume terms.
	As has been widely reported, a number of large house builders are experiencing difficulties, primarily a result of the slow down in the housing sector. Consequently, market commentators have revised their forecasts for the entire construction sector and now consider that output will fall by 1.3 per cent.(1) during 2008.
	Although the housing sector appears likely to face difficult prospects for some time, the outlook for the wider sector is more promising, with work on-going in the infrastructure, health and education sectors. In addition, work is set to commence this year on various Olympic related projects and, looking a little further ahead, a number of large infrastructure and transport projects, such as Crossrail and Thameslink are at the planning stage.
	(1) Construction Products Association forecast Update—17 June 2008.

Fuel Poverty: Pensioners

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform which six energy companies provided the largest number of social tariffs to pensioners in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: Ofgem published a review of suppliers' voluntary initiatives in August 2007 and updated the figures in October 2007. Spending covered in these reports includes that on social tariffs, contributions to trust funds and charities and rebates.
	Although the reports make some estimates of likely savings per customer receiving each of a range of benefits, they are not all split by pensioner or non-pensioner household.
	Ofgem will continue to monitor supplier spending in this area and recently sought views on their proposed monitoring framework for 2008-11
	http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Pages/MoreInformation.aspx? docid=240&refer=SUSTAINABILITY/SOCACTION/SUPPLIERS/CSR.

Fuels: Prices

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform on what dates since 1 May 1997 his Department has re-evaluated its oil price projections for 2020; and what the projected figure was on each date.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 24 June 2008
	The following table shows assumptions published by BERR for the crude oil price in dollars per barrel, listed in terms of 2007 prices for consistency. Prior to 2000 fossil fuel prices were projected on a less frequent basis so a 1995 assumption is provided.
	Projections of the oil price are made for the purpose of providing assumptions to be used in modelling work within the Department, with the focus on long-term sustainable prices and a range of plausible outcomes. The price assumptions are consistent with similar forecasts made at the time. The current projections are compiled following a Call for Evidence and reflect feedback from stakeholders. BERR has committed to updating these projections roughly twice a year.
	Table—Oil price projections for 2020 ($/barrel) in low, central and high scenarios. For comparison all figures have been inflated to 2007prices using the ONS GDP deflator.
	
		
			  Publication and date assumption made  Low  Central  High 
			 Energy Paper 65 (March 1995) 24.3 — 56.8 
			 Energy Paper 68 (November 2000) 12.2 — 24.4 
			 EU Emissions Trading scheme—National allocation Plan (November 2004) — 30.7 — 
			 Updated Fossil Fuel 27.1 37.9 48.7

Renewable Energy: International Cooperation

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Morley and Rothwell of 16 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 641-2W, on renewable energy: international co-operation, if he will  (a) make a place in the Library and  (b) create a section on his departmental website for the agendas, minutes and documents discussed at the planned working group meetings on the International Renewable Energy Agency.

Malcolm Wicks: The Federal Government of Germany is leading the process to establish an international renewable energy agency (IRENA) and has set up a website: www.irena.org which contains information on the preparatory conference in April 2008.
	We expect the Federal Government of Germany to put information on the forthcoming working groups' meetings on this website in due course.
	We shall provide a link on the departmental website to the IRENA website.

River Severn: Tidal Power

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform 
	(1)  when the tender process for the strategic environment assessment of Severn tidal projects was  (a) first advertised and  (b) closed;
	(2)  whether the tender for the strategic environment assessment of the Severn tidal project was held under an Office of Government Commerce term contract;
	(3)  pursuant to the answer of 16 June 2008,  Official Report, column 624W, on the River Severn: tidal power, if he will place in the Library a copy of Parsons Brinckerhoff's statement of independence;
	(4)  pursuant to the answer of 16 June 2008,  Official Report, column 624W, on the River Severn: tidal power, what assessment he has made of the  (a) rights and  (b) financial interests that Parsons Brinckerhoff have had in River Severn tidal power projects, including the Shoots Barrage; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 30 June 2008
	The invitation to tender for the provision of a managed service for a strategic environmental assessment of proposals for tidal power development in the Severn estuary was issued on 22 January 2008. The closing date for tenders was 22 February 2008.
	The tender process was carried out using the Office of Government Commerce's 'Catalyst' Framework Agreement for Environmental Advice, Support and Delivery Services, and the contract issued to the successful consortium used the Office of Government Commerce's Standard Terms and Conditions.
	I am happy to place in the Library a copy of the relevant page of Parson's Brinckerhoff's tender, emphasising their independence and lack of financial interest in the success of any tidal power scheme.
	As stated in my answer of 16 June 2008,  Official Report, column 642W, the statements of independence and absence of financial interests made by Parsons Brinckerhoff were probed at interview and were answered to our satisfaction. As also stated in my answer, we also sought, and received, written assurances from Parsons Brinckerhoff agreeing to assign any rights they might hold in respect of the pro bono work they did on the Shoots barrage to the Secretary of State on a royalty-free basis, and to waive any moral rights they might have in respect of such work. A copy of their letter will also be placed in the Library

Wind Power

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of the potential electricity output of the Crown Estate Round 3 offshore windfarm development.

Malcolm Wicks: In December 2007, I announced the commencement of our draft plan for up to a further 25 GW of offshore wind development, in addition to the 8 GW already planned. If built, this could potentially provide enough electricity to power the equivalent of every home in the UK. We are in the process of completing a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) on the feasibility of achieving up to 25 GW of offshore wind. We anticipate being in a position to be able to make an informed decision next year.
	In parallel to the BERR SEA process, on the 4 June of this year, the Crown Estate announced an offshore leasing programme to deliver up to 25 GW. Potential developers are to be invited to submit tenders to the Crown Estate this year. Following the SEA and the Government's decision on how much offshore wind development is acceptable in UK waters, the Crown Estate will then be in a position to allocate zones for development.

Fuel Poverty: Leeds

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his latest estimate is of the number of  (a) male and  (b) female pensioners aged (i) 60 to 79 and (ii) over 80 years old unable to pay their full fuel bill in Leeds West constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: I have been asked to reply.
	This information is not available.
	However, the Government are concerned about the impact of rising energy prices on pensioners. That is why the Department for Work and Pensions is seeking powers in the Pensions Bill to allow it to share government data on the poorest pensioners with the energy suppliers so that they can identify pensioners who would benefit from their social programmes, including social tariffs.
	In addition the Government announced in this year's Budget a one off additional payment to the winter fuel payment of £100 for the over 80s and £50 for the over 60s for this winter.

Incapacity Benefit: Birkenhead

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2008,  Official Report, column 974W, to the hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell, on social security benefits, how many working age incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance claimants in each ward of Birkenhead parliamentary constituency initiated their claim  (a) before and  (b) in or after 1997.

Anne McGuire: The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of working age incapacity benefit or severe disablement allowance claimants in the Birkenhead parliamentary  constituency; by ward and duration of claim as at November 2007 
			  Ward  All  Under 10 years  10 years and over 
			 All wards 7,210 4,545 2,660 
			 Bidston 1,170 735 435 
			 Birkenhead 1,925 1,240 685 
			 Claughton 875 520 355 
			 Egerton 1,120 675 445 
			 Oxton 755 465 290 
			 Tranmere 1,360 910 450 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to protect the confidentiality of claimants. 2. Totals may not sum due to rounding.  Source: DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent. data.

Pay

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the average level of pay of those moving off benefits into 100 per cent. commission jobs in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: I will let the hon. Member have such information as is available as soon as possible.

Children: Day Care

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average salary for daycare managers in  (a) maintained nurseries,  (b) private, voluntary and independent nurseries and  (c) Sure Start children's centres was in each year for which figures are available.

Beverley Hughes: The Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey collects information on the pay of staff working in childcare and early years providers. The average hourly pay for senior managers of full day care providers in 2006, by ownership of the provision is shown in Table 1. Data for previous years is not available in the format requested.
	
		
			  £ 
			   Mean hourly pay 
			 All full day care providers 9.29 
			   
			 Private 8.81 
			 Voluntary 8.95 
			 Local Authority 13.87 
			 School/college 12.94 
			 Other 10.44 
			  Note: Excludes refusals or 'don't know' responses. 
		
	
	In 2006, the average hourly pay for senior managers of full day care provision in Sure Start children's centres was £9.30. Data is not available for previous years. Children's Centres were included in the survey for the first time in 2006.

Children: Day Care

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average number of staff vacancies in  (a) maintained nurseries,  (b) private, voluntary and independent nurseries and  (c) Sure Start children's centres was in each year for which figures are available.

Beverley Hughes: The Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey collects information on recruitment and staff vacancies in childcare and early years providers. Table 1 shows the proportion of full day care providers that were trying to recruit for vacancies in 2006, by type of staff and ownership of the provision. Data for previous years is not available in the format requested.
	
		
			  Table 1: Proportion of full day care providers trying to recruit for vacancies, by staff type and ownership, 2006. 
			  Percentage 
			   Private  Voluntary  Local authority  School/ college  Other 
			  Senior managers  
			 None 86 88 68 70 73 
			 1 vacancy 13 12 32 1.7 27 
			 2 vacancies <1 0 0 4 0 
			 3 or more vacancies 0 0 0 0 0 
			  Supervisory staff  
			 None 42 49 37 43 81 
			 1 vacancy 44 46 36 48 10 
			 2 vacancies 10 5 13 5 9 
			 3 or more vacancies 3 0 14 4 0 
			  Other paid staff  
			 None 51 43 61 53 35 
			 1 vacancy 34 42 14 35 48 
			 2 vacancies 11 13 15 4 9 
			 3 or more vacancies 4 1 10 4 8 
			  Note: Percentages may not sum to 100 per cent. due to 'don't know' responses or rounding. 
		
	
	The number of full day care providers in children's centres who were trying to recruit staff was too low for analysis to be carried out .

Children: Day Care

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many surveys the Government have conducted to assess the state of the market for child care  (a) since 1997 and  (b) between May 2007 and May 2008.

Beverley Hughes: The following surveys have been conducted by the Department for Children, Schools and Families to assess the state of the market for child care:
	The Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey. The first survey in this series was run in 1998, with further surveys in 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2007. The 2008 survey is currently being conducted.
	The Childcare and Early Years Survey of Parents. Surveys were run in 2004 and 2007. The 2008 survey is currently being conducted.
	The Evaluation of the Extended Flexible Entitlement for three and four Year Olds Pathfinder project included two surveys of parents, in September 2007 and May to June 2008, a survey of child care providers was also carried out in May to June 2008.
	Two Extended Services in Schools surveys have been carried out, in 2005 and 2006. In addition, an Extended Schools: Schools Survey and an Extended Schools: Pupils and Parents Survey are currently being conducted.
	The Parents' Demand for Childcare Survey was conducted in 1199 and 2001.
	The Survey of Parents of Three and Four Year Old Children and their use of Early Years Services was run annually, with six surveys conducted between 1991 and 2002.
	In addition, the Department for Work and Pensions runs the following household surveys which include questions about child care:
	The Families and Children Study, an annual survey which began in 1999, to date six surveys in the series have been completed.
	The Family Resources Survey, an annual survey which began in 1992, to date 13 surveys in the series have been completed.

Children's Centres: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children's centres there are in Milton Keynes; how many are planned to be opened; and how much will be spent on such centres in the next 12 months.

Beverley Hughes: Milton Keynes currently has 13 designated Sure Start children's centres offering services to approximately nine thousand children under five and their families.
	By 2010 all children under five and their families will have access to a children's centre. Milton Keynes has been given an indicative number of a further seven centres required to reach all under fives by 2010. The Department's delivery partner, Together for Children, is working with local authorities to help them plan the final phase of delivery and to confirm the number of additional centres needed to achieve universal coverage by 2010.
	Milton Keynes' Sure Start, Early Years and Childcare grant for 2008/09 included allocations of £560,328 in capital and £3,321,586 in revenue funding for Sure Start children's centres. It is for local authorities to decide how to allocate funding to children's centres within this grant.

Education Maintenance Allowance: Enfield

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many people in the London Borough of Enfield received education maintenance allowance in each of the last five years.

Jim Knight: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) who have operational responsibility for the EMA for the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and hold information about payments made under the scheme. Mark Haysom, the LSC's chief executive, will write to the hon. Member for Enfield, North with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.
	 Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 27( th) June 2008:
	I am writing in response to your Parliamentary Question that asked; "How many people in the London Borough of Enfield received education maintenance allowance in each of the last five years".
	Information on the number of young people who have applied, enrolled and received Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) is available at Local Authority Level. EMA take-up is defined as young people who have received one or more EMA payments in the academic year.
	In the first year of national roll out EMA was available to all 16 year olds across England and to 17 and 18 year olds in former pilot areas (young people who are 19 are entitled to receive EMA in certain circumstances). In 2005/06 EMA roll out continued and EMA was available to all 16 and 17 year olds nationally. In 2006/07 EMA was available to all 16, 17 and 18 year olds nationally.
	EMA take-up for Enfield Local Authority area during each academic year since inception is as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2004/05 1,337 
			 2005/06 2,639 
			 2006/07 3,499 
			 2007/08 (1)3,731 
			 (1 )To 31 May 2008. 
		
	
	EMA take-up data showing the number of young people who have received one or more EMA payments during 2004/05, 2005/06, 2006/07 and to date in 2007/08 is now also available on the LSC website, at the following address:
	http://www.lsc.gov.uk/providers/Data/statistics/learner/EMA_take_up.htm

Extended Schools

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what  (a) numerical and  (b) core offer targets his Department has set to increase the number of extended (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools;
	(2)  what progress he has made in increasing the numbers of extended schools; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what research to assess the provision of extended schools has been undertaken on behalf of his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: The Government's target is for all schools to provide access to extended services by 2010, with half of all primary and a third of secondary schools to be doing so by September 2008.
	Nationally, over 10,500 schools are providing access to the core offer of extended services with many more schools delivering individual elements of the core offer. We are on track to meet our 2008 and 2010 targets.
	We have begun a full evaluation of the impact of extended schools, beginning with a survey of pupils and parents. We also commissioned research by Manchester and Newcastle universities into the impact of full service extended schools. This was a three year evaluation that concluded with the publication of the final report on 25 June 2007 and showed that extended services helped to improve pupils attainment, engagement with learning, behaviour and attendance.
	In January 2008 Ofsted published a report How well are they doing? On extended schools and children's centres. The report found that extended services had a positive impact on a child's personal development. This was particularly true for the most vulnerable children where services had transformed the lives of some these children and their families.
	This year we commissioned Ipsos MORI to undertake a programme of research to explore the delivery of the core offer of extended school services in England. Their report will be published shortly.

Harrington Scheme

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2008,  Official Report, column 972W, on the Harrington scheme, whether the funding for the scheme will be ring-fenced when it transfers to local authority control; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: The Department's White Paper Raising Expectations: Enabling the System to Deliver laid out plans for transfer of funding for learning for 16 to 19-year-olds from the Learning and Skills Council to local authorities from September 2010.
	Under the new system local authorities will have the duty to secure and commission the most appropriate and high quality provision for the young people in their area, and the funding of programmes such as the Harrington scheme and all others will be considered in this context. In deciding what provision to commission in the future, local authorities will need to consider in particular learner demand and ensuring that young people have access to the best available provision.

Higher Education: Admissions

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many people resident in the London Borough of Bexley entered full-time higher education in the academic years  (a) 1997-98,  (b) 1998-99 and  (c) 2006-07.

Bill Rammell: I have been asked to reply.
	The latest available information is shown in the table. Comparable figures for the 2007/08 academic year will be available in January 2009. Figures broken down by ward are not available.
	
		
			  Entrants( 1)  to undergraduate courses from Bexley local authority, UK higher education institutions, academic years 1997/98 to 2006/07 
			   Bexley 
			Of which; 
			  Academic year  All Entrants  Full-time 
			 1997/98(2) 1,200 925 
			 1998/99 1,450 955 
			 1999/2000 1,395 885 
			 2000/01 1,620 1,035 
			 2001/02 1,745 1,120 
			 2002/03 1,785 1,155 
			 2003/04 1,955 1,230 
			 2004/05(3) 2,035 1,300 
			 2005/06 2,100 1,360 
			 2006/07 2,125 1,420 
			 (1) Figures are on a snapshot basis as at the 1 December to maintain a consistent time series across all years and are rounded to the nearest five. Figures include the Open University but exclude those on writing up, sabbatical or dormant modes of study. (2 )Figures for 1997/98 exclude the Open University because there are no figures available for entrants to undergraduate courses at the Open University by local authority for this year. (3 )The increase in entrants between 2004/05 and 2005/06 may be greater than in reality as a consequence of a problem identified with data submitted by the Open University (OU) in the 2004/05 academic year.  Source:  Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

Parents: Education

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent steps the Government have taken to assist those parents in treatment for drug addiction with parenting skills.

Beverley Hughes: The Government's 10 year Drug Strategy, 'Drugs: Protecting Families and Communities', launched at the end of February 2008, put a new focus on families, with parents being made a priority for effective drug treatment. This acknowledges the damage caused to whole families when a parent develops drug problems and highlights that an effective way to improve outcomes for children of substance misusing parents is by effectively treating the parent. Government and the National Treatment Agency (NTA) are working together to achieve this by improving the effectiveness of treatment for the whole treatment population, of which an estimated 46 per cent. are parents.
	We are ensuring that drug misusing parents have ready access to this support with assessments taking account of the needs of children, and developing of guidance on the commissioning and delivery of "family friendly" treatment with closer links to maternity services. We are specifically working to improve the parenting skills of those parents with drug problems through developing the family intervention skills of drug workers, by including drug misuse within the scope of initiatives such as Family Pathfinders and Respect Parenting Practitioners, extending the Family Intervention Programme for an extra 500 families affected by drug misuse, and funding the Family Drug and Alcohol Court Pilots—all of which have a focus on improving parenting skills. We are evaluating the impact of these programmes.

Higher Education: Admissions

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many residents of the London Borough of Bexley entered higher education in each of the last five years, broken down by ward.

Bill Rammell: The latest available information is shown in the table. Comparable figures for the 2007/08 academic year will be available in January 2009. Figures broken down by ward are not available.
	
		
			  Entrants( 1)  to undergraduate courses from Bexley local authority, UK higher education institutions, academic years 1997/98 to 2006/07 
			   Bexley 
			Of which; 
			  Academic year  All Entrants  Full-time 
			 1997/98(2) 1,200 925 
			 1998/99 1,450 955 
			 1999/2000 1,395 885 
			 2000/01 1,620 1,035 
			 2001/02 1,745 1,120 
			 2002/03 1,785 1,155 
			 2003/04 1,955 1,230 
			 2004/05(3) 2,035 1,300 
			 2005/06 2,100 1,360 
			 2006/07 2,125 1,420 
			 (1) Figures are on a snapshot basis as at the 1 December to maintain a consistent time series across all years and are rounded to the nearest five. Figures include the Open University but exclude those on writing up, sabbatical or dormant modes of study. (2 )Figures for 1997/98 exclude the Open University because there are no figures available for entrants to undergraduate courses at the Open University by local authority for this year. (3 )The increase in entrants between 2004/05 and 2005/06 may be greater than in reality as a consequence of a problem identified with data submitted by the Open University (OU) in the 2004/05 academic year.  Source:  Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

Abortion

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his Department's Statistical Bulletin on Abortion Figures 2007, if he will review the abortion strategy for England and Wales.

Dawn Primarolo: In England, the Government are working hard to reduce unplanned pregnancies through improved contraceptive services and implementation of our Teenage Pregnancy and/sexual health strategies. In 2008-09 £26.8 million has been invested to improve women's access to contraception and help reduce the number of abortions, repeat abortions and teenage pregnancies.
	We are also working to ensure that women have access to abortion services as soon as possible as evidence shows that the risk of complications increases the later the gestation. We have made significant investment to improve early access and set a standard of a maximum waiting time of three weeks. The latest data for 2007 show that progress is being made to increase early access: 68 per cent. of national health service funded abortions took place at under 10 weeks compared with 51 per cent. in 2002.
	A review of the Sexual Health and HIV Strategy is currently being undertaken by the Independent Advisory Group for Sexual Health and HIV which will be published in summer 2008.
	Services in Wales are a matter for the Welsh Assembly Government.

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many abortions were performed in  (a) Southend and  (b) Essex in 2007, broken down by  (a) age of the woman,  (b) grounds of the abortion and  (c) gestation of the pregnancy.

Dawn Primarolo: The information is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Abortions for residents of Essex primary care trusts (PCTs)( 1)  by age, gestation and grounds, 2007 
			  Age  South East Essex  North East Essex  Mid Essex  South West Essex  West Essex  Total Essex PCTs 
			 under 16 22 23 22 24 21 112 
			 16 34 30 30 43 36 173 
			 17 51 42 48 85 56 282 
			 18 76 70 61 76 59 342 
			 19 60 58 48 73 62 301 
			 20 68 52 66 86 54 326 
			 21 60 51 45 77 57 290 
			 22 52 34 63 79 53 281 
			 23 52 40 49 89 50 280 
			 24 49 32 44 66 48 239 
			 25 34 36 33 85 52 240 
			 26 47 27 30 80 55 239 
			 27 42 34 38 61 51 226 
			 28 35 22 39 71 36 203 
			 29 32 17 28 61 25 163 
			 30 37 17 25 57 28 164 
			 31 31 16 31 54 34 166 
			 32 30 19 19 43 26 137 
			 33 30 18 31 36 35 150 
			 34 38 23 29 40 26 156 
			 35 31 17 23 39 24 134 
			 36 18 15 25 39 29 126 
			 37 28 12 29 36 26 131 
			 38 22 19 19 38 22 120 
			 39 15 13 21 35 21 105 
			 40 and over 40 28 55 74 58 255 
			 Total 1,034 765 951 1,547 1,044 5,341 
		
	
	
		
			  Gestation weeks  South East Essex  North East Essex  Mid Essex  South West Essex  West Essex  Total Essex PCTs 
			 under 6 102 33 115 189 141 580 
			 6 170 73 173 261 214 891 
			 7 232 102 189 313 206 1042 
			 8 149 164 170 264 132 879 
			 9 126 132 79 170 95 602 
			 10 88 101 84 133 94 500 
			 11 54 66 37 67 54 278 
			 12 37 28 25 39 36 165 
			 13 21 18 16 19 18 92 
			 14 and over 55 48 63 92 54 312 
			 Total 1,034 765 951 1,547 1,044 5,341 
		
	
	
		
			  Grounds( 2)  South East Essex  North East Essex  Mid Essex  South West Essex  West Essex  Total Essex PCTs 
			 Section 1(1 )(a) — — — — — 5,131 
			 Section 1(1 )(d) — — — — — 35 
			 Other grounds — — — — — 175 
			 Total 1,034 765 951 1,547 1,044 5,341 
			 (1) Information about residents of Southend is contained within South East Essex PCT and is not collected separately. Suppressed total less than 10 (between 0 and 9) or where a presented total would reveal a suppressed value. (2) Section 1(1 )(a) that the pregnancy has not exceeded its twenty-fourth week and that the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk, greater than if the pregnancy were terminated, of injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman or any existing children of her family, Section 1(1 )(d): that there is a substantial risk that if the child were born it would suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped.  Other grounds Section 1(1 )(b) that the termination is necessary to prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman. Section 1(1 )(c) that the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk to the life of the pregnant woman, greater than if the pregnancy were terminated. Section 1(4) that the termination is immediately necessary to save the life or to prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman.

Abortion: Northern Ireland

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will  (a) introduce and  (b) support an amendment to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill extending the Abortion Act 1967 to Northern Ireland; what representations he has received from hon. and right hon. Members wishing to extend the provisions of the Abortion Act 1967 to Northern Ireland; what response he gave; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: It is accepted parliamentary practice that proposals for changes in the law on abortion come from Back Bench Members and that decisions are made on the basis of free votes.
	The Department has received no representations from hon. or right hon. Members to extend the Abortion Act 1967, as amended to Northern Ireland.

Accident and Emergency Departments

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many accident and emergency admissions took place between  (a) 6:00 am and noon,  (b) noon and 4:00 pm and  (c) 4:00pm and 9:00pm in the latest period for which figures are available.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is not available centrally.
	Latest published data shows that, for January to March (quarter four) 2007-08 there were 771,217 emergency admissions via type 1 (major) accident and emergency (A and E) departments in England.
	Information is also available on attendances at A and E departments but this is collected separately.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many under 25-year-olds were admitted to hospital in London for alcohol-related illness in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: The number of admissions to hospital in the London strategic health authority (SHA) area where the patient was under 25 years old and had a primary or secondary diagnosis that was specifically alcohol-related at the start of his or her stay was 2,174 in 2006-07. This is the latest period for which data is available.
	 Notes:
	1. This figure is for national health service hospitals in England and activity performed in the independent sector in England commissioned by the English NHS.
	2.  Admissions
	The technical term for what has been supplied is finished admission episodes (FAEs). A FAE is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.
	3.  Assignment of Episodes to Years
	Years are assigned by the end of the first period of care in a patient's hospital stay.
	4.  Data Quality
	HES are compiled from data sent by over 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs) in England. The Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain.
	5.  Mentions of a diagnosis
	This figure represents a count of all mentions of a diagnosis in any of the 14 diagnosis fields in the HES data set. Therefore, if a diagnosis is mentioned in more than one diagnosis field during an episode, all diagnoses are counted. Diagnosis codes used:
	mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol;
	alcoholic liver disease; and
	toxic effect of alcohol.
	6.  Ungrossed Data
	Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).
	7.  PCT and SHA Data Quality
	PCT and SHA data was added to historic data-years in the HES database using 2002-03 boundaries, as a one-off exercise in 2004. The quality of the data on PCT of treatment and SHA of treatment is poor in 1996-97, 1997-98 and 1998-99, with over a third of all finished episodes having missing values in these years. Data quality on PCT of general practitioner (GP) practice and SHA of GP practice in 1997-98 and 1998-99 is also poor, with a high proportion missing values where practices changed or ceased to exist. There is less change in completeness of the residence-based fields over time, where the majority of unknown values are due to missing postcodes on birth episodes. Users of time series analysis including these years need to be aware of these issues in their interpretation of the data.
	 Source:
	Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), the Information Centre for health and social care.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time was for people with an alcohol addiction for an appointment with a psychiatric nurse  (a) nationally and  (b) broken down by region in the latest period for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: On 1 November 2005 the Department published the "Alcohol Needs Assessment Research Project" (ANARP) assessment of alcohol needs in England, copies of this publication are available in the Library. Its main focus was the measurement of the gap between the demand for and provision of specialist alcohol treatment services in England at a national and regional level.
	ANARP conducted their research over a period of six months between September 2004 and February 2005. As part of this work waiting times for an appointment with a psychiatric nurse were recorded. The following table gives the average waiting time for an appointment with a psychiatric nurse for those with alcohol addiction for England and by region:
	
		
			  Region  Average waiting time (weeks) 
			 East Midlands 3.91 
			 Eastern 6.31 
			 London 4.07 
			 North East 6.50 
			 North West 4.33 
			 South East 3.34 
			 South West 6.42 
			 West Midlands 3.96 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 4.85 
			 England 4.60 
		
	
	Except for ANARP, data on those receiving alcohol treatment have not been routinely collected. However, on 1 April 2008 the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System, which collects data on people in structured drug treatment, was expanded to include the collection of alcohol treatment data.
	This system is called the National Alcohol Treatment Monitoring System and although it is too early in its use to provide quality assured data, it will in time allow the Department, strategic health authorities and primary care trusts to monitor alcohol treatment services, including information on waiting times.

Dental Services: Yorkshire and the Humber

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on NHS general dental services in  (a) North Yorkshire and  (b) York in (i) cash and (ii) real terms in each of the last 10 years.

Ann Keen: For 2006-07, data on primary dental care expenditure can be derived from primary care trust (PCT) accounts. This data reflect the new contract framework for primary dental care services introduced from 1 April 2006 which takes account of all relevant service costs, and is based on the PCT areas introduced from 1 October 2006. However, it is not directly comparable with the available pre-2006 data. Expenditure on primary dental services in the North Yorkshire and York PCT in 2006-07 is shown in the following table. The PCT's accounts do not separately distinguish between expenditure in North Yorkshire, and York City.
	
		
			  Expenditure on primary dental care services in North Yorkshire and York PCT in 2006-07 
			   £000 
			 Gross expenditure 32,165 
			 Dental charges paid by patients 8,875 
			 Net expenditure 23,290 
			  Source:  Calculated from details of gross primary dental care expenditure, and income from dental charges, recorded in the notes to the 2006-07 PCT accounts. 
		
	
	Prior to April 2006, most primary dental services were provided under former general dental services (GDS) arrangements. These were demand led services where the pattern of dental expenditure was largely determined by where dentists chose to practice and how much national health service work they chose to undertake.
	The Information Centre for health and social care holds local level information on the expenditure for NHS primary dental care under the former GDS and personal dental services arrangements. Expenditure information in cash and real terms (2006-07 prices), for the financial years 1997-98 to 2005-06 is available for the following PCTs:
	Selby and York;
	Hambleton and Richmondshire;
	Craven, Harrogate and Rural District;
	and Scarborough, Whitby and Ryedale.
	This information is contained in the document, "Expenditure on General Dental Services and Personal Dental Services in North Yorkshire, 1997-98 to 2005-06", copies of which have been placed in the Library.

Departmental Freedom of Information

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what requests for information on  (a) abortion,  (b) contraception,  (c) reproductive health issues and  (d) euthanasia were made to his Department under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in each year since 2005; and whether each request was (i) agreed to and (ii) refused.

Dawn Primarolo: The following tables show the numbers of requests received and nature of responses provided on each of the topics specified for each year since 2005. More detailed information—listing all requests received has been placed in the Library.
	
		
			  Abortion 
			   Received  Agreed/ answered in full  Agreed answered in part  Refused  Not held 
			 2005 18 1 3 14 0 
			 2006 12 4 4 2 2 
			 2007 14 8 5 0 1 
			 2008 (to June)(1) 18 6 4 4 2 
		
	
	
		
			  Contraception 
			   Received  Agreed/ answered in full  Agreed answered in part  Refused  Not held 
			 2006 7 3 1 0 3 
			 2007 2 1 1 0 0 
			 2008 (to June) 3 1 1 0 1 
		
	
	
		
			  Reproductive health issues 
			   Received  Agreed/ answered in full  Agreed answered in part  Refused  Not held 
			 2005(2) 10 3 1 1 3 
			 2006 18 11 1 1 5 
			 2007(2) 21 9 1 2 8 
			 2008 (to June) 2 2 0 0 0 
		
	
	
		
			  Euthanasia 
			   Received  Agreed/ answered in full  Agreed/ answered in part  Refused  Not held 
			 2005(3) 1 1 0 0 0 
			 (1). To date two requests for 2008 have not yet been answered. (2). The Department asked requesters to provide further clarification or their requests for one request in 2005 and one in 2007. (3). No requests were received in 2006, 2007 or 2008.  Note: The responses described in the tables above are the initial responses provided to the requester in each case. Responses listed are: 'Agreed - answered in full'; 'Answered in part, where part of the information requested was either not held or subject to an exemption under the Freedom of Information Act; 'Refused', where all of the information requested was considered to be exempt under the Act; and 'Information not held', where the Department did not hold the information requested. 
		
	
	In one of the cases listed, a 2005 request asking "How many 11/12/13/14 years olds had abortions in England and Wales in 2003-04?" the requester appealed successfully to the Information Commissioner, and the information was subsequently released.

Drownings

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) persons under 16 years,  (b) persons aged 16 to 18 years and  (c) persons aged over 18 years were admitted to hospital after drowning in (i) public swimming pools, (ii) private swimming pools, (iii) garden ponds and (iv) public lakes and ponds in each of the last five years.

Dawn Primarolo: The following tables contain relevant available information collected centrally, namely total admissions to hospital after drowning and submersion in a swimming pool, natural water, other specified drowning and submersion, and unknown drowning or submersion at the start of his/her stay broken down by persons under 16 years, persons aged 16-18 years, and persons aged over 18 years in 2002-03.
	The figures also do not include drownings that occurred in, or as a result of, a fall into a bath tub.
	National health service hospitals England and activity performed in the independent sector in England commissioned by English NHS.
	
		
			  2002-03 
			   0-15 years  16-18 years  19 years and over  Total 
			 Drowning and submersion while in or following a fall into a swimming pool 45 1 12 58 
			 Drowning and submersion while in or following a fall into natural water 24 1 44 69 
			 Other specified drowning and submersion 17 0 9 26 
			 Unspecified drowning and submersion 63 0 55 118 
		
	
	
		
			  2003-04 
			   0-15 years  16-18 years  19 years and over  Unknown or unspecified age  Total 
			 Drowning and submersion while in or following a fall into a swimming pool 44 0 12 0 56 
			 Drowning and submersion while in or following a fall into natural water 39 1 51 1 92 
			 Other specified drowning and submersion 18 2 4 0 24 
			 Unspecified drowning and submersion 68 2 58 0 128 
		
	
	
		
			  2004-05 
			   0-15 years  16-18 years  19 years and over  Total 
			 (Drowning and submersion while in or following a fall into a swimming pool 50 3 12 65 
			 Drowning and submersion while in or following a fall into natural water 33 3 54 90 
			 Other specified drowning and submersion 18 1 6 25 
			 Unspecified drowning and submersion 53 5 60 118 
		
	
	
		
			  2005-06 
			   0-15 years  16-18 years  19 years and over  Unknown or unspecified age  Total 
			 Drowning and submersion while in or following a fall into a swimming pool 53 2 13 0 68 
			 Drowning and submersion while in or following a fall into natural water 17 3 48 1 69 
			 Other specified drowning and submersion 13 0 3 0 16 
			 Unspecified drowning and submersion 34 7 57 0 98 
		
	
	
		
			  2006-07 
			   0-15 years  16-18 years  19 years and over  Total 
			 Drowning and submersion while in or following a fall into a swimming pool 32 1 12 45 
			 Drowning and submersion while in or following a fall into natural water 35 4 68 107 
			 Other specified drowning and submersion 13 1 7 21 
			 Unspecified drowning and submersion 52 5 66 123 
			  Notes: International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD10) codes for drowning: 1. Drowning and submersion while in or following a fall into a swimming pool. W67—Drowning and submersion while in swimming pool. W68—Drowning and submersion following fall into swimming pool. 2. Drowning and submersion while in or following a fall into natural water. W69—Drowning and submersion while in natural water W70—Drowning and submersion following fall into natural water 3. Other specified drowning and submersion. W73—Other specified drowning and submersion 4. Unspecified drowning and submersion. W74 Unspecified drowning and submersion  Admissions: Admissions are defined as the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.  Cause Code: The cause code is a supplementary code that indicates the nature of any external cause of injury, poisoning or other adverse effects.  Data Quality: HES are compiled from data sent by over 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts in England. Data is also received from a number of independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. The Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. Whilst this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain.  Assessing growth through time: HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. During the years that these records have been collected the NHS there have been ongoing improvements in quality and coverage. These improvements in information submitted by the NHS have been particularly marked in the earlier years and need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. Some of the increase in figures for later years (particularly 2006-07 onwards) may be due to the improvement in the coverage of independent sector activity. Changes in NHS practice also need to be home in mind when analysing time series. For example a number of procedures may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and may no longer be accounted in the HES data. This may account for any reductions in activity over time.  Ungrossed data: Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The Information Centre for health and social care

Elderly: Abuse

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department  (a) has commissioned,  (b) plans to commission and  (c) has evaluated on the levels of abuse of older people who are (i) resident in care homes and (ii) suffering from dementia; what recent representations he has received on the issue; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: On 27 March 2008, the Department and Comic Relief announced £2 million funding for a new joint research initiative to investigate the dignity and safety of older people being cared for in institutional settings. The study will explore the experience of older people, and the staff who care for them, in settings such as care homes, intermediate care and hospitals.
	The new research is likely to run until April 2011. An advertisement inviting tenders to undertake the research was placed in the Guardian newspaper on 4 June 2008, with on-line registration of interest (ROI) required by 23 June.
	It will build on research published in 2007, also funded by the Department and Comic Relief, which examined the prevalence of abuse of older people living in their own homes.
	Although the experience of older people with dementia was not included as a specific aspect in this first study, we envisage that the research in institutional settings will include methods to take account of their experiences.
	A total of 32 ROIs have been received. These will be sifted shortly. Full research applications are due to be received by 27 August 2008.

University College Hospital: Inspections

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints were  (a) made and  (b) upheld (i) at local level and (ii) by the Health Service Commissioner arising from services provided by University College Hospital in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: Information is not collected in the format requested.
	Data is available on number of written complaints at national health service trust level, not at individual hospital level. University College Hospital is one of seven hospitals comprising University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The following table shows the number of written complaints received by the Trust for 2002-03 to 2006-07, the latest available information.
	
		
			  Number of written complaints about hospital and community services, 2002-03 to 2006-07 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 374 480 590 745 664 
			  Source: The Information Centre for health and social care. 
		
	
	Information about the number of complaints upheld by the Trust is not collected centrally. The hon. Member may therefore wish to raise this issue locally.
	The health service commissioner (ombudsman) may carry out independent investigations of complaints about the NHS. This is the third stage of the NHS complaints procedure, after local resolution by the NHS organisation concerned and independent review by the Healthcare Commission. As the ombudsman is independent of the NHS, the hon. Member may wish to raise this issue directly with the ombudsman's office.

Departmental Retirement

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the standard retirement age in his Department is; and how many people in his Department and its predecessor worked beyond the standard retirement age in each of the last five years.

Michael Wills: Employment terms and conditions, including retirement age, is delegated to individual departments and agencies under the Civil Service (Management Functions) Act 1992 as set out in Chapter 11 of the Civil Service Management Code.
	The Ministry of Justice was created on 9 May 2007 bringing together the former Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) and National Offender Management Service, including the Prison and Probation Services, and is the host department for the Office for Criminal Justice Reform. These organisations still operate separate terms and conditions and therefore the responses are separate.
	 Former Department of Constitutional Affairs and Agencies
	Under the national retirement policy, all employees have the right to retire at the age of 60 and receive an occupational pension. Employees may retire at an earlier age under the provisions of the Superannuation Act 1972 and the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS) relating to preserved pension rights. Nothing in the former Department for Constitutional Affairs retirement policy, affects the rights of employees under the national retirement policy.
	The standard or normal retirement age for all established employees is between 60 and 65, depending on the date of appointment to the employees grade (except for those staff who did not accept the new harmonised terms and conditions in The Deal new pay arrangements for 2007). The senior civil service normal retirement age is currently 65. Legacy arrangements exist for staff who joined prior to 1 April 1999, with retirement ages ranging between 60 and 65.
	
		
			  Normal retirement age for employees appointed on or after 1 April 1999 
			  Pay span  Normal retirement age 
			 Bands E-F 65 
			 Band D 62 
			 Spans A-C 60 
		
	
	 Judges  c lerks
	The normal retirement age for judges clerks is 65 and they may work until the end of the legal year in which they reach 65. The director of the Supreme Court has discretion to authorise their employment for up to a further three years if their judge wishes them to stay on.
	 Staff working beyond normal retirement date
	The following table sets out the number of staff within the former Department for Constitutional Affairs and it's Agencies, who were working beyond the normal retirement age for their grade, on 31 March for each year that accurate figures are available.
	
		
			   Staff working beyond normal retirement age 
			 31 March 2007 (1)1,100 
			 31 March 2008 657 
			 (1 )All magistrates staff above the normal retirement age of 60 are included irrespective of their equivalent government grade. 
		
	
	 Her Majesty's Prison Service
	The standard, or normal, retirement age of Prison Service staff is currently 65. The normal retirement age has altered over the past five years. The following table sets out the number of staff, on 31 March each year, who were working beyond the normal retirement age for their grade in each of the last five years.
	
		
			   Staff working beyond normal retirement age 
			 31 March 2004 1,550 
			 31 March 2005 1,732 
			 31 March 2006 1,448 
			 31 March 2007 90 
			 31 March 2008 187 
		
	
	 National Offender Management Service and Office for Criminal Justice Reform
	The normal retirement age for staff is 65, but they have the option to take their pension and retire at the age of 60 and can, exceptionally, work until the age of 70 subject to certain conditions.
	
		
			   Staff working beyond normal retirement age 
			 31 March 2006 (1)10 
			 31 March 2007 0 
			 31 March 2008 2 
			 (1 )Female age 60 and male 65 (prior to October 2006)—Staff numbers for year 2005-06 is higher in comparison to other years. Prior to Cabinet Office Employment Equality Regulations October 2006 female retirement age was 60 and therefore are included in the calculation for year 2005-06. We're unable to provide data prior to 2005 because of data migration to a new system.

Parc Young Offender Institution

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 845-7W, on young offender institutions: mental health services, how many young people have been transferred from Parc Young Offender Institution to specialist NHS secure hospital units for under 18 year olds in England.

Maria Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 11 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 316-17W.

Sport Action Zones

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when and by whom the decision was taken to close sport action zone schemes.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Sport England has advised that the 12 sport action zones were established and funded for a five year period. There was no intention to fund this programme beyond this period. The expectation was that the type of interventions which they promoted would be picked up by mainstream initiatives.

Sports: Finance

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many awards Sport England made to projects that significantly benefited people from ethnic communities in each year since 1999.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Sport England does not record information on which groups funding is focused. Therefore, it is not possible to give a figure for the number of awards made by Sport England to projects that have significantly benefited people from ethnic communities in each year since 1999.
	From 2005-06 — 2007-08 the public service agreement for sport was to increase participation in sport by 3 per cent. by priority groups; one of which was ethnic minorities.
	In future, under the new Sport England strategy launched on 10 June, increasing participation by ethnic minorities will continue to be a key priority. To support increases in participation by ethnic minorities Sport England has, in the last three years provided a total of £1,014,829 funding for sporting equals.
	In order to receive funding from 2009-11, national governing bodies of sport will be required to develop plans for increasing ethnic minorities' participation in sport.

Sports: Finance

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many awards Sport England made to projects that significantly benefited disabled people in each year since 1999.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Sport England does not record information on which groups funding is focused. Therefore, it is not possible to give a figure for the number of awards made by Sport England to projects that have significantly benefited disabled people in each year since 1999.
	From 2005-06—2007-08 the public service agreement for sport was to increase participation in sport by 3 per cent. by priority groups; one of which was disabled people.
	In future, under the new Sport England strategy launched on 10 June, increasing participation by disabled people will continue to be a key priority. To support increases in participation by disabled people, Sport England provided £4,111,399 to the English Federation of Disability Sport between 2005 and 2008, and have invested approximately £8,000,000 in the inclusive fitness initiative (IFI) which is a gym based project to ensure disabled people can take part in gym based exercise.
	In order to receive funding from 2009-11, national governing bodies of sport will be required to develop plans for increasing disabled people's participation in sport.

Xansa

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what contracts his Department has signed with Xansa plc in the last five years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department has not signed any contracts with Xansa plc. in the last five years.